EARNINGS

Shell Oil Co., the nation's sixth-largest oil firm, reported a 39% rise in 1987 profits. Houston-based Shell cited higher crude prices and chemical earnings. Shell is a subsidiary of Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which is based in the Netherlands. "Earnings for 1987 benefited from a substantially stronger performance in the oil and gas exploration and production segment, led by higher crude oil prices, and from record chemical earnings," Shell said.